


Highever's Teryna

by Romanceobsessed



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, M/M, non warden cousland - Freeform, younger sibling cousland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 07:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17845316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romanceobsessed/pseuds/Romanceobsessed
Summary: Niall Cousland was recruited by the late Duncan to the Grey Wardens the night he lost his parents and his home. When he arrived at Ostagar he couldn’t find his older brother Fergus, and thought he had lost him as well. Losing his family almost broke him, but the one thing that kept him from falling apart was remembering that he still had his baby sister Elayna, and that she was safe in the Free Marches. He got in contact with her in Ostagar, and she became the reason he did everything, to get home safely to her. Now nearly three years after the battle of Denerim, Niall has dealt with the darkspawn that wouldn’t retreat and the architect, and is now focussing on rebuilding the Grey Wardens in Ferelden. The city of Denerim has been rebuilt and was now turning a profit. Ferelden was finally seeing a period of peace, a civil war was avoided by the son of Maric marrying young Queen Aunora. Highever was left in the very capable hands of Elayna, with a goal to return Highever to what it was while her father was alive. However when Aunora dies from sickness, Alistair and Elayna are brought together and have to deal with growing feelings towards each other. With Eamon's scheming to get everyone a happy ending will they survive?





	1. The Funeral

The funeral for Aunora had taken weeks to coordinate, and perhaps it was cruel of him to think so but Alistair was glad when it finally arrived. For the past few weeks he had been bombarded with questions on the event, questions that he didn’t have the answer to. He couldn’t count the number of times he hid from the event planner, and he had actually wanted to use his kingly responsibilities as an excuse not to see the young girl. That was a new experience to him, usually he did everything within his power to put off such responsibilities. It was just that the questions were so trivial he wondered if they were even necessary, such as cream colored napkins or white? What color should the floral arrangements be? Hell Alistair didn’t know the first thing about planning a funeral, and honestly what is the difference between cream colored and white? Isn’t cream white? Maybe it was wrong of him to feel this way, the entire country was in a mourning state and here he was fidgeting in his formal clothes relieved that all the hassle was almost over.

Despite Alistair knowing nothing of planning any sort of formal event, he did note that it had turned out to be a lovely room. He would gladly take credit for such an accomplishment, but truth be told most of his answers to the young planner was “I’ll leave it your professional judgement.” However he did choose the color, and he was happy to see it complemented the intricate windows in the room nicely. The room was adorned with pale blue, from the drapes on the windows to the blanket draped over the casket Aunora laid in. The wood of the casket itself had the royal sigma carved into it as well as many intricate designs of roses and lilies. White roses and lilies were placed around the room in abundance and it left the air smelling sweet. The casket sat at the front of the chantry, Aunora laid within peacefully, dressed in a white gown with pale blue eyeshadow and pale lips. The stone benches were decorated with white and blue ribbons and dark navy cushions. It was beautiful, and Alistair took a moment to breathe it all in before the doors opened. He slipped his hands into his pockets and prepared himself, it was to be a long day.

A little later in the day all the nobles of Ferelden filled the small Denerim chantry and Alistair sat in a throne a few feet behind Aunora. The ceremony had started with the chant of light, and had gone on to a sermon that Alistair found hard to listen to. Cliches like, death is a gift in disguise and shes gone to the maker’s side now. It was beginning to seem as though maybe the funeral wasn’t ever going to end. His eyes landed on the chantry sister in the corner, she was pale and old. Her eyes were a pale blue and held a sadness in them. Alistair found that to be true about everyone in the room today, she was short only about five foot and hunched over while she was standing. Alistair would guess her to be about 75 and most would figure her frail and feeble, but Wynne had taught him that age was hardly a judge of strength.Yet he was still surprised at her powerful voice when she started to sing, as she sang the queen off. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and tried to preoccupy himself for the long wait, but his gaze shifted to a girl standing in the back, and he felt his jaw drop.

Of all the places to gawk at someone’s beauty, your wife’s funeral was not one of them. Yet Alistair couldn’t help himself as he watched his best friend's younger sibling, singing along with the chantry sister. She was sporting a black gown that clung to her hips but flowed to her feet gracefully. Her golden hair was braided to the side falling just below her breast. She carried herself as any other noble woman did, yet she had an air about her that was kinder and compassionate. When Alistair looked at her, he saw was his best friend Niall Cousland. Now that’s not to say he found Niall as attractive as the woman he looked at now, but they were more similar than he would have thought. 

They had the same eyes, the same smokey blue-grey haze that glowed with determination and strength. An asset he knew they got from their late father. Her brother shared the same hair color, though hers was a darker blonde likely from less time in the sun. From stories and photos he knew that was also a trait coming from her father. The rest of her traits, her figure and full breasts, were an asset she likely received from her mother. Whereas Niall was thick and toned with an abundance of large muscle, especially in his shoulders, she was small framed, lanky with a thin torso. Yet as he stared at her, he knew it was unwise to underestimate her, it was unwise to underestimate anyone of Cousland blood. The funeral went on and like every noble before her she stepped silently up to the queens casket and laid a flower beside her. 

Two years ago before the final battle of the fifth blight, Aunora had been made queen to please the people, and Alistair's wife to please the nobles. It was a political move intended to make a compromise, but was also in an attempt to keep other nobles from assuming the wardens were trying to claim the throne for themselves. After all, Alistair would have chosen to stay a grey warden under Niall, but to keep Maric’s blood on the throne, and an ally that Niall could trust, he decided a political marriage was for the best. Nevermind that he didn’t entirely want the throne. It was a union based on political advantage only and it worked quite well. Until Aunora fell ill. Alistair didn’t fully trust Aunora nor did he love her, but in no way did he wish her death. To be honest in the past two years he had come to rely on her knowledge of how to run a kingdom. Truly, she was a good queen, even when they had their disagreements he was more than willing to admit that. 

The bells brought him back from his thoughts and he watched as guardsmen came to carry the queen’s casket out to the boat. All the attendants, stood and followed outside to watch the final burning ceremony. Outside the palace waiting was an assembly of wagons and horses, at the front laid the queen on a wagon. The assembly was to ride through Denerim, fully armed and guarded of course, for the common folk to see. They were traveling to the shore following the Drakon river. Eventually on the other side of the large city they would arrive at the Amaranthine Ocean, where many kings and queens had been laid to rest. During the long ride on his horse he watched the people as he went. Some thought him incompetent, some had faith in him. Most were mourning their lost queen sad to see the true leader of the country gone. Especially so shortly after Cailan’s death. Most of the faces blurred together but there was a child that stood out to him the most. He was pulling at his dress clothes clearly uncomfortable, a lot like Alistair was now, and kept rolling his eyes at his mother as if he really didn’t want to be there. Then he watched as the young boy saw Aunora and realization hit his eyes, this was real. The boy looked to Alistair and caught his eye, more curious than sad. Alistair passed him quickly but he almost wished he could stay there watching him. Alistair resonated so much with the boy, more than then the child could possibly know.

At the shore, freeholders and city folk alike were gathered to watch their queen be sent off. Few words were spoken, his own speech falling flat. He just didn't know her well enough to do her justice, despite being married to her for two years. Maker’s sake he didn’t even share a bedroom with her. While he didn’t doubt that she really loved Cailan, he was not Cailan. She was polite to him, but far from loving, and he figured when people started demanding an heir he’d tackle that dilemma then. What does one say in a speech honoring someone you know is a good person, but whom you don’t actually KNOW. “Aunora was an excellent woman, and a beautiful queen. The castle will be colder and lonelier without her company.”

It wasn’t a lie, but it was also far from a grieving husband’s speech. No one seemed to mind much, likely lost in their own grief or plotting to marry their daughter to him. Soon, Aunora was sent out into the ocean and a rouge guardswoman he did not know fired a burning arrow onto the boat. The boat went up in flames quickly, with help of the the oil she and the boat were likely doused in. The same mother of the Chantry started to sing again, quietly, and soon everyone joined. The song itself was lost on him, most people would say he was lost in his grief but if truth be told he was more scared than sad. Now as he stared at the flames on the water he realized that he was to be king on his own, without the help of someone who had been the true master behind the curtain long before him. 

This haunted him all the way back to the castle where a large feast was prepared in Aunora’s honor. It caused him to tune out the sounds around him and finish the funeral on polite autopilot, being there but not really being there. The food was fantastic, but he was ready to be done with all of the fancy formal event stuff. The funeral was dragging on and he realized he wasn’t going to be done anytime soon. With the feast done it was time now for every noble to give their condolences to him. It was the last step in this never ending funeral, so he was almost elated, until he realized how many nobles there were. Every time he thought they were almost done another one came up to speak. Maker’s sake they breed like rabbits. Faking a polite smile was getting harder and harder to do. The line was assembled from the least noble to the very most noble, starting with the Banns and their family, then of course to the Arls and finally to the Teryns. Alistair wasn’t raised noble and dealing with all this political squabble wasn’t second nature to him like it was Niall. The way Niall could hold a crowd with his speeches or make fast decisions put his ‘kingness’ to shame. Niall was a born leader and an amazing choice for warden commander, still Alistair missed his best friend, and resolved to write him a letter this evening.

Perhaps thinking of his best friend passed the time quickly because before he knew it the only noble left was the Teryna of Highever. She stood before him in all her glory and beauty, she was strong willed and stood tall just as her brothers did and as he looked at her he felt a pang of nervousness. Was it hot in here? She smiled politely and curtsied, he bowed in return. “I wanted to apologize for my brothers’ absences.” she spoke softly, and politely. “Fergus has been...well Fergus has been quite ill. And of course Niall is off doing his duties as Commander of the grey. Both send their best to you in this time of grief.” He smiled, only this time genuinely. Niall was doing an amazing job as commander of the grey and he knew very much about Fergus’s “illness”. “No apologies needed, truth be told I don’t mind a few people skipping out, means we can all head home sooner anyway.” She chuckled quietly careful not to let other nobles see her enjoyment, at an event such as this one they might see it as treason. “Truth be told your majesty I couldn’t agree more. There is still much to do in Highever.” He took her hand kissed it as way of goodbye since he knew gossip would be everywhere if he spent more time with her than the others. “Please call me Alistair. I’m not one to follow formal gestures.” She smiled brightly genuinely this time less worried of who could see. “So I’ve heard. Well if I am to call you by your first name, then you may call me Elayna.” He nodded curtly silently rolling the name in his mind again and again as she strolled away. A highever guard followed her to the estate she owned here in denerim. Alistair couldn’t help but to watch her walk away, silently hoping that they would meet again soon.  
____________________________________________________________________________

Elayna walked into the estate and motioned the serving girl she didn’t recognize to her. She made it her business to know all of the servants in highever, however here it was someone she was not familiar with. She was a beautiful young elven girl, with long red hair braided into a ponytail, she had striking green eyes and she was almost as tall as Elayna, which was unusual for most young elven girls. Yet Elayna was sure that she, as well as many men, saw it as an asset with legs as long and lean as she had. She rushed over to her bowing her head shaking a bit, nervous to be called out right away. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just curious what your name was?” She was taken aback by the question clearly not used to speaking to a noble in such a way. “Cl..Clara my lady.” Elayna tried to smile as bright as she could to reassure the girl. “Clara. That’s a lovely name. Well Clara when you have a free moment I was wondering if you could please draw me a bath with lavender oil?” She nodded curtly and hurried off. Elayna made a mental note to leave a little extra coin for the girl, when she returned to Highever. Elayna worried over things like this mostly because of Niall. Although she was never rude before, to anyone let alone servants, she almost rarely saw them. When he had come home to her safely, he had been changed in a lot of ways. He had seen more death, had more to fear, and had seen first hand how the treachery of men affected not only the lives of elves, but of every race.

“Pup, listen to me” he said. “These people are the foundation for which you stand everyday, I don’t want you to forget that or take them for granted. Whether they are elven or human.” When he looked at her in that way she knew he was right, and she didn’t take them for granted. Not the servants she hired or the knights and guardsmen that protected her. Not the Elves in her alienage or the humans in her city. She was noble, in every way that counted, but most people forgot what a noble was meant to do. A noble isn’t there to have fancy balls and eat fancy things, rather it is their duty to serve their people. That was a lesson, not from Niall, but from Bryce Cousland her father. 

Elayna walked toward the study and slipped out of her dress shoes, picking them up and continuing on her way. The stone floors were freezing on her toes but anything felt better than the pinchy shoes that gave her blisters. She pushed the door to the study open and sat at the big oak desk. She pulled out paper and a quill and started to write. Recently she was sure her older brother was sick of her as she wrote to him daily. She missed him dearly, and oftentimes she felt alone in that castle. Sure Fergus was there, in a way, but Fergus was still grieving the loss of his family and was drunk more than he was awake. At first Elayna didn’t blame Fergus for needing the drink, Oren was positivity personified, and on more than one occasion she drank with him, and cried with him. However now it had been two years, and while she knew that the pain would never truly leave her eldest brother, she worried for his health and just wanted his happiness. She wrote to Niall about the funeral, about how Alistair had given a lovely speech and how he was taller than she expected. She talked about Aunora’s illness and Bann Teagan, not so subtly offering her to stay here in Denerim with him for a time. However, she didn’t write about how she stared at the king in awe, she left out how handsome she found him and how ashamed she had felt ogling a man at his wife’s funeral. She signed the letter, sealed the envelope and almost didn’t hear the small voice when Clara walked in. “My lady your bath is ready and waiting, would you like anything else at the moment?” She looked up to Clara and smiled gratefully. “No thank you dear. I appreciate you drawing my bath. Why don’t you head down to the kitchen and get yourself some dinner.” She was taken aback a moment and before she could speak Elayna chuckled. “It’s the least I can offer for all your hard work today in tidying up the place, please help yourself to anything in the larder. There is much more there than I could possibly eat anyway.” Clara nodded gratefully. “Th..Thank you my lady.” She curtsied and headed downstairs. When she was fully out the door Elayna tied up Niall’s letter and started towards her room to bathe. On the way there she found a guardsmen she knew as Thomas, “Ser Thomas.” He stood at attention at the sound of her voice and bowed slightly. “Yes my lady?” She handed him her letter with a smile. “This is a letter to my brother Niall. Would you please send it out with a messenger this evening?” He nodded curtly. “Of course.” She smiled again brighter and with a quick “Thank you.”, continued to her room. 

The smell of lavender hit her the instant she opened the door and she started to peel the black dress off. She felt amazing when she was free of it and took a deep breath in. She wasn’t much for dressing up, to her mother’s dismay. She was far more interested in knowledge. She would spend hours on reading books and learning facts while her brothers were outside training. Although her parent held no quarrel with her training as well, she never thought that it would interest her, as she wasn’t all that violent a person. She was often called a smarty pants and a goody two shoes by her brothers. However she knew they were just upset because their parents babied her and she was very obviously her mother's favorite. Still her big brothers would never leave her defenseless, and as soon as she was of the age that boys and men alike were watching her from a distance they had her in the training yard learning self defense. She was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was. While she wasn’t strong enough for the sword and shield like Fergus and Niall, she did take to daggers and stealth attacks. Though she would never be a warrior like her brothers were, she enjoyed the workout and strived to know more until she could almost hold her own against them. Most of her training consisted of self defense though and it did come in handy.

Elayna slid into the bath recalling the night and started with her hair. She didn’t know the men but they must have known her, known where she would be. There was a bookstore of sorts in Highever and sometimes she would stop there to grab new materials. Her father always insisted she take a guard with her, she didn’t argue it, because even at sixteen she was babied and guarded and arguing this with her parents only led to more of it. This particular day Elayna had also stopped at the Chantry to collect a book that mother Lenora had suggested. She had a stack of books in her arms despite her guard offering to carry them. In truth it wasn’t to keep him at his best but rather because they needed to be handled with care. Still she was glad his hands were empty when a man came out of the shadows and grabbed her pretty long hair. Elayna screamed and dropped her books as the guard sprang into action fighting one of the men as the other started to put a sack on her head.

When she looked back on the memory she remembers them saying something though she couldn’t actually make out what they were saying. For a moment, she stood frozen when she felt the blade at her throat she wasn’t sure what to do, she wasn’t Niall or Fergus, if she was both men would be on the ground groaning in pain. She was just Elayna, the only thing she was good at was reading. This thought process only lasted a moment as her adrenaline kicked in, she wasn’t ‘just’ Elayna she was a Cousland, and there was no way in hell anyone was going to put a Cousland in a corner. So she struck back hard with her elbow catching the man by surprise in the nose. She heard it crack, and felt the sting of the blade slice the side of her neck. She didn’t waste time pondering on this though as she ripped the sack off of her head and turned on him. He came at her now, furious and with a bloody nose, he pulled a sword on her. Leave it to Elayna to come unarmed to a sword fight.

But she wasn’t unarmed, not entirely. She picked up one of the larger books and threw it as hard as she could in his direction. He wasn’t expecting as much and it distracted him. She didn’t waste time trying to continue the fight. Sure she had other moves but she was unarmed and from the looks of her guard beside her she didn’t have long to escape. So she bolted. She ran through the city, past the fountain in town square and the bakery with delicious cookies. After a while she tripped and tore her dress as she tried to get up. Her knees were bleeding now, her head was throbbing from her hair being pulled, and she was covered in dirt. Still she kept running she didn’t stop or look behind her she just looked forward. She could still feel the sting in her neck and hoped that it wasn’t too deep. Elayna was tall and thin, and best of all she was fast. So she ran until she made it to the gates of the castle and tripped again catching herself with her hands. A guard was there manning the gates and opened it immediately after seeing the cuts and scrapes on the young cousland. Word was sent to her father and Elayna was taken, rather almost carried, to see her parents.She was breathing heavy and about to breakdown into tears, her clothes were covered in dirt her knees now crusted over with dry blood, and her her neck still bleeding. One look over her and her father grew cold and serious, she could tell he was fuming but to her he used gentle calm words and comforted his pup. They gushed over her taking care of every cut and bruise and Eleanor Cousland cried thinking of what could have been. “Bryce look at the cut here, a few inches to the right and he could have killed her!” The words made Elayna shiver in her mother’s arms and Eleanor squeezed her tighter. “It isn’t that deep my love, but I swear she will not be put in harm's way again. My sweet pup I am so thankful that you got away.” Elayna nodded trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes. The most shocking reaction of all though was Niall as he burst into her room seeing red, demanding justice for anyone stupid enough to lay hands on his sister. They never found who was responsible for the attack and it stayed with Elayna even now. Surely they wouldn’t come back for her now would they?

Elayna came back from the memory cold, and not just because of the nature of the memory but because her bath water had faded from the heat that it once held to a lukewarm temperature. So she stood and grabbed the towel next to her wrapping it around her. She wandered over to the dresser and pulled out her smalls putting them on while still a little wet. Next she grabbed a white cotton shirt and some brown cotton pants that hit her just below the knee. In the summer it was almost always warm enough to sleep in just her smalls but it was Autumn now and the temperatures were dropping just enough to make her cold at night. She braided her hair to the side and pinned it up into a bun. Taking one last look in the mirror she almost turned to go to bed until she remembered her bath water. She didn’t like leaving it to Clara to clean up so instead she grabbed the bucket beside the tub and started to empty the water into the gutter out her window. Surprisingly it didn’t take long to do so only about four buckets worth. However it did tire her out even more and she hobbled to her bed falling asleep the instant she hit the soft mattress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea for a fan fiction because I like the idea of characters I can relate to. Characters who aren't warrior or bad ass, because not everyone can be Niall. Duh. However I didn't want her to be just another vain noble either, so I made her a lot like me. Basically a nerd. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Rebuilding Highever

The sun was peeking in through the thick purple curtains of Elayna’s bedroom and a soft knock brought her from the fade. She sat up groggily rubbing the tired from her eyes. Over the course of the night a few strands of hair had fallen from the bun and stood up, defying gravity as if they were gelled in place with elfroot.Her voice was hoarse and quiet not ready for the upcoming long day “Come in.” Clara came opened the door nervously holding essentials for Elayna’s morning preparation in a small little bag. After setting the bag on the desk of the vanity she went over to the fireplace heating up the coals that were still dying from the night before. Soon Clara had a roaring fire warming the cold stone room enough to convince Elayna to get out of bed.

Elayna had never been much of a morning person so she yawned and stretched, while she arguing with herself not to lay back down. “Would you like me to tend to your hair my lady?” Clara’s voice was like silk, she had likely been up for hours and Elayna was still so groggy she sounded like she was gargling rocks. “Please. I am shit with hair, when I try to do something with it, it always looks like a frizzy mop.” Clara chuckled and turned back to the fireplace as Elayna finally pulled the covers off and slid her feet into the fur lined slippers beside her bed. When she stood she felt her knee pop and almost fell to the floor, she finally made it to the vanity and sat down staring at her bloodshot and sleepy eyes in the mirror. After a few moments Clara came to Elayna’s chair, and opened the bag she had set down. She pulled out a golden comb and some lavender oil. She pulled the long blonde strands out of the tight bun and put just a small amount of elfroot and lavender oil in her hand to run through her hair to tame the frizz and give her curls more definition. Then she started the maticulios task of working the comb through Elayna’s long hair. After a while Clara was able to run the comb down to Elayna’s mid back, tangle free and she was able to style it. 

Elayna sighed at the feeling of Clara’s fingers working in the oils and stroking her hair. Before the blight it was Elayna’s mother who would do so. Even now she remembered her mother’s silk laugh at the look of her daughter in the morning. Her firm grasp on her strands of hair, that never hurt and the love in those green eyes in the mirror staring at her. Every morning with her mother was a blessing, and even when she now, when she was upset the comfort of her mother’s fingers came to mind. She thought of the small sailors tune from the Storm Coast that she would hum while braiding beads into the soft blonde hair. Even now she didn’t wear beads in the braids of her hair, because it reminded her too much of what she used to have. Eleanor was taken from young Elayna too soon, before she could watch her little pups grow old and happy, before she could cry at Elayna’s wedding, and before Elayna could tell her how much she meant to her daughter. It still haunted her after all this time that she wasn’t there with Niall to say goodbye, to help them escape. She had thought long and hard about how useless she had been during the blight and she would never forgive herself, all she could do was try to make her parents proud now after death. 

Clara began to pull her hair into a half up style where the top layer of her hair was pulled back into a twisted bun tied up with a red ribbon, a small bow sitting on the top. She had left Elayna’s bangs to frame her face. The bottom half of her hair cascaded down her back in soft blonde curls. “I am finished with your hair my lady, shall we begin to dress you?” Elayna smiled at herself in the mirror. “That’s alright Clara, I like to dress myself. However I fear I am dreadful at doing my own makeup, are you at all good with it?” Clara smiled and nodded cleaning up the vanity and putting things away. “Of course my lady. I will return in a moment to help you.” When she left the room Elayna wandered to her wardrobe, she had many meetings planned for today and contemplated what outfit would best suit those meetings. Rebuilding her city was a slow and meticulous task and she had meetings with contractors, as well as interviews for guardsmen. She also was looking into finding an economic adviser because she needed to do so much with what little coin Highever had at the moment. During Howe’s treacherous takeover of her family’s land, the treasury had been almost completely drained funding the civil war that had taken attention away from a blight. Now only a few years after the blight’s heroic end Highever was almost completely out of resources. She could in no way tax the people of Highever because they too were wounded by Howe’s over taxation and brutality. What Highever needed more than ever was funding from the royal treasury. The future of her people depended on it, for if there wasn’t any coin provided soon her people would starve. She was in the process of setting up new trade routes into Highever, but most of the farmers and tradesmen had been chased away by Howe and his men’s treatment. One thing that was in Elayna’s favor was the refugees that were now populating her streets and wanting so badly to open up new businesses. However she needed more housing to do just this. 

This was what led her to make a meeting with the king this afternoon, now that the rebuilding of Denerim had mostly finished and trading and business reopened, the royal treasury was finally turning a profit. Elayna turned to open her wardrobe and changed out of the clothes she slept in, she pulled out a bright red dress to match the bow in her hair, with small intricate designs on the sides. The top of the dress was a corset ending just under her breasts, making them appear fuller than they really were, and the sleeves and chest of the gown were a creamy white. Just as she was finishing up and contemplating if wearing white was a good idea, after all she did have to eat, and wearing white was just tempting fate, she heard another soft knock at the door. “Come in Clara.” Elayna oved back to the vanity and Clara started on Elayna's pale face. She used powders to softly enhance her cheekbones and add some color. The makeup she put on was subtle just as Elayna liked it, with a red tinted lip and charcoal lined eyes and eyelashes. When she was finished with this she excused herself. 

Elayna looked one last time in the mirror, pulling her mother’s small opal necklace around her neck. She looked like a proper noble woman though often times she felt she could never truly live up to her parents. She was just a child playing at Teryna, a little girl who grew up too fast, as her father would say. Her brother fergus or Niall they were more suited for this. Stronger-willed and smarter. Both of them had been trained in how to rule and lead, it was always assumed that Fergus would take over the province and that Niall would be able to choose his path. Niall had liked the idea of becoming a Grey Warden and had also considered becoming a seeker. She supposed Niall was able to achieve his dream, and she had to say thanks for small blessings. As for her she had always wanted to be a scholar, and it was always assumed that she would marry another noble and be able to continue her studies. Mother had even started planning her coming of age ball to introduce her to the eligible bachelors. She had turned 18 right before the final battle of Denerim, and instead of a coming of age ball, she stayed up all night praying that she would see her brothers again. That she still had family in a few days time. She shuddered and tried to shove such thoughts out of her head. Niall had survived and so had Fergus, she had her brothers. True it wasn’t exactly as it should be, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that now. There was no time for such things, because she was off to her first meeting of the day, a contractor that had been one of the top contributors to the rebuilding of the royal castle after the final battle of the blight. So after one last look in the mirror and her hand clasped around her mother’s opal she donned her brown leather boots and started down the stairs.

The Contractor met with Elayna at her estate just thirty minutes after she had risen out of bed. He was a gruff man with dark black hair slicked back and a beard longer than Elayna had seen on anyone else. His name was Garren and he had brought along Gwen his three year old daughter. “You see sir I plan on remodeling highever and hopefully designing it much like denerim with many small businesses and small apartments in town. I also want to have more housing opportunities on the outskirts of town, while this is going on you are more than welcome to stay in the castle with my family and I, and hire on any of the men you choose.” Garren looked at her, a stern look in his eyes and nodded slowly. “This is quite a big job you have in mind, are you sure that you will be able to afford it?”  
She had to admit he was quick, he must have heard of her arranging a meeting with a financial advisor or perhaps he only knew of her meeting with the king and assumed as much. “Sir Garren, I can assure you that I will pay you the full amount you are owed, however I can not be sure on when that is. The reason I am recruiting you for this business is to then bring in new families and to house the refugees already living in Highever. We can then charge them rent and new coin will flow through Highever treasury. I am also meeting with the king later today in hopes to be reimbursed from Highever grievances during the blight.” She stood her ground as sharp as any noble woman even under pressure her tongue was sweet, she had learned her coercion from her brother Niall and he had almost stopped the blight with just his tongue.

Garren stood his ground. “If this is truly the case, Lady Cousland than I am afraid I can not accept your offer. My men will need to paid in advance, and not to insult your honor my lady, I do not know that I can trust you” Elayna felt her heart start to beat harder, she would not let down her people, there were so many refugees still living in shelters and tents and staying in Highever chantry. She needed to build more housing, and she needed to build spaces that could open up businesses in town. She heard the excited shrills of young Gwen and looked out the window, Gwen was running around the courtyard with Clara, a ball of raw energy and an idea came to Elayna. “Sir Garren if I may be so bold, I wonder if we can make a compromise. You have my word that you will be paid in full for your services when Highever has the funds available. As a promise to you and a thank you, I will offer little Gwen the finest tutors in Highever while you complete the job.” Garren looked at her wide eyed, and speculative. Elayna knew that most children if they were not noble were not privy to tutors or schooling unless they are discovered magical and sent to study at the circle, yet she grew up already reading by Gwen’s age. Most of the tutors that had taught Elayna in the free marches, swore allegiance to house Cousland, and were only waiting for an opportunity to teach another child. If she wrote to them she had a feeling she could at least secure one with the skills needed for Gwen. “My lady that is most generous of you, it would give her many opportunities I was not privy to.” He rubbed his chin a bit and considered the offer. Gwen knew that the fastest way to a father’s heart was through his daughter, and she crossed her fingers hoping he would change his decision. “I believe an agreement can be made, I have a few men who will work for food and shelter until you can secure the funds needed. I will begin to draw you up some plans this afternoon and send them to you to be approved, perhaps in two weeks time if my plans are to your liking I will bring my men to highever castle.” Elayna smiled widely and let go of the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you sir Garren you will not regret this.I will make all the arrangements needed, and there will be housing available for you and your men at highever castle.” Those were the last words shared between the two of them and Garren left satisfied and excited for his new business proposition.While Elayna herself was over the moon, sure she would never be a warrior like Niall but at least she was finally living up to her father’s ability to rule a province.

This excitement stayed with her as she hired a new financial advisor one that had impressed her immensely and agreed with her plan to rebuild highever. Seilia was young but she was excited. Although she was born from a noble in Orlais, she was a bastard. She moved to Ferelden after she realized she was not as skilled in “the game” as her parents before her. Something she was good at though was financial matters, she was a master with numbers. Elayna had a good feeling in the pit of her stomach and the confidence she needed for the last meeting of the day. A meeting she had with the same man she was so infatuated with yesterday. The one and only Alistair Theirin, her irresistibly handsome king.  
____________________________________________________________________________  
Alistair had woken up at dawn as usual, a habit he still had from his time building an army. His morning routine of people fussing over him and making him look all noble was the same as usual, and he had been in a pretty good mood thus far. He had eaten breakfast and even snuck in some cheese as a snack. He had several meetings and judgements to attend to before lunch and had heard “sorry for your loss” more than a dozen times. He was just getting into the groove of his day when Eamon had requested his time. His stomach churned, Teagan had been his advisor usually and a damn good one at that, but when Aunora fell ill Eamon had come to take his place. Eamon was more experienced with such things and making decisions and he was also concerned for young Alistair. It brought Alistair comfort to have him around even if it was for a short period of time. However a meeting in his personal study, usually meant bad news and it gave Alistair goosebumps. He quickly made his way there worrying about his friend Niall or the wardens he had since recruited. As he entered the large room filled with dark oak and books he’d never read his mind ran several awful scenarios of what could have happened in the kingdom. Eamon was sitting at the chair in the corner of the room reading when he entered, and it calmed him some. “Your majesty, I am sorry to have called you from your duty but we have something to address.” Alistair nodded as a gesture to continue. “Although it has only been a short while since Aunora’s death we have to start thinking about your courtning of another noblewoman.” He shook his head in bafflement. Surely this wasn’t what had worried him on his way over here, is this really what the gravely serious meeting was about? “Forgive me Eamon but I worried that something had gone horribly wrong that we were under attack and pirates were moments from swooping down upon us.” He said with just a little bit of annoyance and a lot of jest. Eamon stared at him eyes serious. “I don't believe you understand the seriousness of the situation your majesty.” Alistair rolled his eyes a little bit like a flustered child. “Eamon I've asked you to call me Alistair you don't have to be so formal, you’ve known me since birth.” Eamon grabbed the bridge of his nose, he was much too old for this he decided. “Alistair we have these protocols for good reason. You a king therefore I should recognize you as such.” Alistair laughed. “Yes, I suppose I've come a long way from sleeping on the hay in your barn” Eamon chuckled under his breath. “Yes I suppose you have.” There was a far away look in his eyes as he remembered the young boy. Maric hadn’t just abandoned the boy as many assumed and Eamon knew that he could have loved him as much as young Cailin, but that was a story for another time. “The reason that it is so important to begin a courtship is because the nobles will expect as much. They will begin to introduce you to their daughters, most will be too young for you, and they will hope to see action taken. If they do not see you making an effort, they could easily turn on you. After all everyone is expecting an heir and you still do not have one.” Alistair went silent as he processed the last statement, the truth is he may not ever have an heir even if he did find another queen. Grey Wardens were not exactly the most fertile, and no one was sure exactly how much the taint affected fertility. However it was known that it was very rare for Grey Wardens to have children after the joining.  
Alistair shook his head clearing his thoughts. “So exactly how long do I have before nobles begin to jump down my throat and try to blackmail me into marrying their daughters.” Eamon smiled and then leaned back in his chair. “I would say about a month and then it is expected that you will be courting another woman. At the funeral did you see any nobles that you would have an interest in?” Alastair thought about it the only woman that came to mind was Elayna, but he didn't even want to think about what Niall would would say. For a long time, Niall had thought Elayna was his only family left and he was very protective of her. He remembered when he first arrived to Ostagar how he had written a letter to her, and even though he thought to be in a safe place he had used code names to make sure no one knew who it was really from. Except young Elayna of course. He remembered how much Niall had wanted to go get the young girl from the free marches where she had been staying with a cousin, so that he could protect her. “ I don't know that I really thought about it at the funeral. I did have other things on my mind” he lied. Eamon nodded “I figured as much, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I don’t know every eligible bachelorette in Ferelden but I can get you a list. We can start discussing what might be best for the country, and maybe just maybe find you a woman that you can actually be happy with.” Alistair thought on it a little bit longer it would be much better to be married to a woman he could at least consider a close friend. “Alright Eamon. We can discuss it further after you give me the list. Was there anything else that you needed from me?”  
Eamon took a breath in “Not particularly but I do want to prepare you for your next meeting. Niall’s younger sister Elayna is coming to the palace, I’m sure you’re aware of her?” Alistair thought back to the beautiful girl at the back of the chantry, not as much as he’d like to be. “Yes, of course.” Eamon nodded. “I'm not sure why exactly she called this meeting but I have a guess that it has to do with the rebuilding of highever that she is planning. I have to remind you that you have already sent aide to Highever and Aunora was right in thinking that people might think you are just showing her favor because of Niall.” Alistair rolled his eyes, so what if he was showing her favor he was the king wasn’t he? “I really do believe we owe it to Highever, especially after Howe’s treachery.” Eamon shook his head, “Bryce Cousland was a dear friend of mine, but we mustn’t let those biases cloud our better judgement.” Alistair took a deep breath, Eamon was right of course. “It is only fair to hear her plans out fully before I make my decision. When exactly is this meeting?” Eamon smiled, “It is in about 10 minutes.” Alistair laughed, “Thanks for the warning I guess.” Together they headed down to the throne room where the meeting would take place.  
____________________________________________________________________________

Elayna walked into the entrance of the palace and did her best to fake confidence and walk with her head held high. However, she could feel the beads of sweat on her back and in her palms Highever had always been turning a profit for Ferelden and had never, for as long as her mother and father lived, asked for the crowns help. Yet, here she was making her way into the throne room to ask for funding, Alistair had been very helpful to Highever in his two years on the throne by relieving taxes and sending the royal guard to clear out the remnants of Howe under supervision. Tasks that she knew Aunora had tried to dispute, believing that it was showing favoritism. Not that Elayna was ungrateful for the relief and aide that Alistair provided, but it wasn’t enough. Highever was still only half of what it used to be and her goal was to change that and to live up to her parents. This was never supposed to be her destiny, it was Fergus’s birthright to rule the province, but no matter how many times she reminded herself of this the fact was, she was in charge.She approached the throne room and waited for the door to open to her, the nervous energy made the air heavy and she tried to remind herself to breathe, Niall had always told her it was impossible to tell her no. It was time to test that theory now.

The large doors opened and she looked down the narrow corridor decorated in greens and golds at her handsome king. She lost all the breath she had collected and felt frozen for just a second as his golden eyes caught her. Only for a moment, the color reminded her of golden honey spread on brown toast. Then she centered herself and began to walk forward head held high, there was too much at stake to act like a swooning child. When she reached the front of the room she smiled politely at Eamon who stood in Teagan’s usual spot a few feet behind the large throne. She curtsied as a way of greeting and waited for King Alistair's small bow in response. “Good afternoon your majesty. I thank you for your consideration this morning, especially in your time of grief.” She knew very well that Alistair hadn’t loved Aunora but death of any kind was a shame and she knew that living with someone for almost two years made you appreciate them in some way. “Thank you Teryna Elayna, what have you called this meeting for?” She took a steadying breath. “If I may get straight to the point, I am here to ask the crown for help. Although I appreciate the tax relief, and all of the physical relief you have offered after the blight, Highever is still struggling. Howe and his men scared off a surplus of common folk and drained our treasury to fund the disgusting civil war, and now Highever is not turning a profit. I have many ideas on how to improve this but before I can begin I need to make an investment.” Alistair nodded. He didn’t see an issue with sending more relief to Highever, before the blight HIghever at been the most profitable city in Ferelden just under Denerim itself. Now the royal treasury was seeing a dramatic decrease in profits and if Elayna could turn that around he didn’t see a problem with supporting that. He opened his mouth to agree to her terms but Eamon spoke up instead, still not convinced. “And what are these plans, to rebuild HIghever?” 

Elayna went into her explanation, how she planned to build more housing for the refugees that had made their way to the city during the blight. She explained that she wanted to not only give space for folks to live but also to rebuild, the town square needed more space for businesses to open and hopefully attract farmers back to the area, to support new bakers, markets, and restaurants.She also discussed her plans to offer a small grant or scholarship to new business owners to get them started. “You see Eamon, the only way to rebuild Highever, and to begin to make a large profit is to once again make it the business capital of Ferelden as it was when my father ruled the province. I want to create jobs for the citizens of HIghever, and in order to do so I need to put money upfront.” Eamon stood silently behind Alistair, and he would have to admit he was impressed. He had underestimated the young cousland though he knows he shouldn’t have, she had Eleanor's stubbornness and Bryce’s intuition. He looked to Alistair and gave his nodded approval. Then Elayna spoke up again, “And of course I would have no issues, paying back the loan with interest.” With Eamon’s approval Alistair was convinced, but to be fair he didn’t need much convincing in the first place “Alright, that seems more than reasonable. I will grant you the loan that you wish from the royal treasury. I will begin to lift the tax relief in a years time. I expect that with your plan you will be successful in half that time.” Elayna let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you your majesty you will not regret this decision Highever will be as great as it was my father was still ruling.” Alistair nodded. “I have no doubt in that. Now onto the important things, have you eaten yet?” Elayna smiled, and her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “No I haven't had the chance to sit down and eat.” Alistair smiled and Elayna thought that her heart might stop. “Well then I hope you'll accept my invitation of a picnic lunch out in the gardens. You can tell me all of Niall’s embarrassing stories from childhood.” Elayna smiled, “Now that wouldn’t be very fair your majesty. Who will tell him your embarrassing stories?” Eamon laughed from behind Alistair “I will gladly share those stories with the commander.” Alistair blushed rubbing the back of his neck. “Well I suppose fair is fair.” He looked Elayna in the eyes smiling.”Just to let you know there will be a lot of cheese, and call me Alistair for heaven's sake” Elayna laughed big and loud for the first time in a long time Alistair stood and took her arm. Excitement filled her every bone but she had to remember not to flirt with the King. She wasn't a young school girl with a crush and she needed to act like a noble she was. “I have no problem with cheese. I know it is a personal favorite of yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter two in record time. I am pretty happy with it I like the energy between characters. I hope to have chapter three posted by next week. Enjoy.


End file.
